What would you do? Selling house vs. not....(school consolidation).

[moopdog]

Our school district is consolidating all of the 4 outlying elemenatary schools into one big one that is being built right now. This means our kids will now go to school & have all of their after school activites about 25 minutes away (bus ride around 40 minutes prob) instead of 10.

Currently we are driving to the "new" town already about 4 or 5 days a week bc of the sports being combined already. It will only get worse as they get older, and we have about 12 years of school years ahead of us. So...we are strongly strongly considering buying a house in the town the school is in (High school is also in that town). Another reason is because my husband just took a paycut and we want to use the equity in our home to have a lesser mortgage.

We owe approx $80,000 on our house & fair market value is around $180,000. The market is quite good where we live and we feel we could sell rather quickly. Some houses near us are selling in a matter of 3 or 4 weeks!

The idea is we'd sell ours, make a profit and use that profit to purchase a house in the $130,000 range. This will enable us to have a lesser mortgage, and be close to the kids school. The drive for us to work will not change much.

Problem: We currently have 2.2 acres, LOTS of woods and fields and streams and we are definitely country people. My kids climb trees, swim in the creek and run in the woods. We love having no neighbors and the peace & quiet.

The new house would likely be "in town", granted a VERY small two-stop-light town. We'll have neighbors and be on a paved street - not dirt road like we have now. My kids would be trading the country for a basketball court and playground nearby, and having friends within walking distance. The new house will have less yard to mow and no need to plow the driveway of snow (we are not the type who loves to do yardwork so this is a plus).

We are SOOO torn by this decision to sell vs. not sell that I have slept in 5 nights. Please offer your advice. I have a realtor coming by tomorrow to talk to us about listing the house, and we clearly need to make a decision by then.

BTW - our "plan" is also just temporary. We want to buy our 3rd and final house in about 12-15 years when our kids are finishing up college and that will be the house we retire to eventually. We are 37 and 42 years old.

 

[jmartinez1895]

It can always be hard to make your mind up when making such a big decision. I know that every person is different and this is a personal choice for you and your husband to make, but I would sell and move. I would want to be closer to my kids school and would not want to have to drive back and forth all the time, but again that's just me. I hope that you can make your mind up soon and have peace over your choice no matter what you decide.

 

[tlbwriter]

The problem is, this is not (purely) a financial decision. It really comes down to whether you'd be happy living in town. Personally, I like being in a neighborhood with families. I'd like to retire to someplace more rural, but while my child is in school, being in town has a lot of benefits. I grew up in a setting much like the one you're living in now, and I feel like I missed out on things because my parents weren't willing/able to just pick up and take us into town.

 

[marmalade]

Our school district is consolidating all of the 4 outlying elemenatary schools into one big one that is being built right now. This means our kids will now go to school & have all of their after school activites about 25 minutes away (bus ride around 40 minutes prob) instead of 10.

Currently we are driving to the "new" town already about 4 or 5 days a week bc of the sports being combined already. It will only get worse as they get older, and we have about 12 years of school years ahead of us. So...we are strongly strongly considering buying a house in the town the school is in (High school is also in that town). Another reason is because my husband just took a paycut and we want to use the equity in our home to have a lesser mortgage.

We owe approx $80,000 on our house & fair market value is around $180,000. The market is quite good where we live and we feel we could sell rather quickly. Some houses near us are selling in a matter of 3 or 4 weeks!

The idea is we'd sell ours, make a profit and use that profit to purchase a house in the $130,000 range. This will enable us to have a lesser mortgage, and be close to the kids school. The drive for us to work will not change much.

Problem: We currently have 2.2 acres, LOTS of woods and fields and streams and we are definitely country people. My kids climb trees, swim in the creek and run in the woods. We love having no neighbors and the peace & quiet.

The new house would likely be "in town", granted a VERY small two-stop-light town. We'll have neighbors and be on a paved street - not dirt road like we have now. My kids would be trading the country for a basketball court and playground nearby, and having friends within walking distance. The new house will have less yard to mow and no need to plow the driveway of snow (we are not the type who loves to do yardwork so this is a plus).

We are SOOO torn by this decision to sell vs. not sell that I have slept in 5 nights. Please offer your advice. I have a realtor coming by tomorrow to talk to us about listing the house, and we clearly need to make a decision by then.

BTW - our "plan" is also just temporary. We want to buy our 3rd and final house in about 12-15 years when our kids are finishing up college and that will be the house we retire to eventually. We are 37 and 42 years old.

Since your plan is to buy another house to retire in after the kids are out of school, I would sell and move. It will be much easier on everyone if you are closer to the center of all your activities.

 

[ilovemk76]

1) The dirt road would make me want to move.

2) What do the kids say. Do they prefer to climb trees and swim in the creek or walk to friends and the basketball court.


How much smaller would the new home be?


You new mortage may not be as small as you expect. You need to pay the realtor, possibly pay to move, buy window treatments and other stuff for the new home and possibly pay for the new utilities to be hooked up.

 

[dislal]

I would make sure you can find a new house before you even consider selling yours. I have been house hunting for just under a year now and it is SO frustrating. We are trying to stay in the same school district, but it is hard and I've seen the prices in our area go higher and higher for less house and yard in this past year!

 

[sk!mom]

I would sell and move. Time is everything to me and I wouldn't want to spend so much of our family time driving back and forth to school and activities.

I'm also not a country person. I like to be 5 minutes from the grocery store, movies, etc... My kids were very involved in activities and I'm not the type of mom who would ever say no to driving them. Living in the country would mean way too many weekends driving back and forth to movies or friend's houses.

The financial factor would also be huge with me. We never wanted to be house poor so if I felt that we had too much house and could downsize- I would. We bought a modest house and paid it off quickly so that we would have more disposable income for travel and enjoying life.

 

[moopdog]

We have been casually looking for about 3 -4 months. We did look at a house this week that we'd be happy with, but of course we've not even put our house on the market yet. To me - that's the first step. We need to sell before we can buy. If we sell too fast, we'll have to rent or (GULP) move in with inlaws temporarily. ROFLMAO, I can't believe I thought that for a second. Okay, so we'd rent. If we sell too slowly..... guess we'll have a long time to "look".

Thanks for your input so far. It's making me feel better about the potential move. Oh, and my kids are also on the fence. They want their cake and eat it too. In the end, I think living closer to other kids/friends is the better choice for my family. The town is still small enough that we will only be a few minutes drive from the river and woods. and there is no crime to speak of, no gangs of kids that we need to worry about. It's actually a quaint little town and the more I think of it, the better I like the idea.....

 

[Planogirl]

Be absolutely sure. We miss having woods and fields nearby. The noise and traffic get on my nerves and I wish that we were farther out.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I would move b/c in a few years your kids will be teenagers and will want to be around friends and activities all the time and you will be driving them into town a lot. They won't care about a big yard and trees anymore.

We are about 20 min. from my DH's job, the "downtown" area where the kids activities are, and older dd's high school. We moved into this other area b/c of the great elementary school. But, when younger dd is done with elementary school in 2 years, we are seriously thinking of moving closer to jobs and middle/high school. It is just so much driving around.

 

[MrsPete]

Hmmm . . . lots of thoughts:

First, I understand where you're coming from. I grew up in the country with plenty of space to climb trees and so forth. Know what I craved? Walk-to friends. At times -- not all the time -- I wanted to live in a neighborhood so I could walk to friends' houses and have company over every day after school. Now that I'm a mom, we live in a neighborhood, and what do you think my kids crave? Small-town life. Maybe kids want what they don't have.

Anyway, you've given your kids the country life. Maybe it's time for neighborhoods to balance it out? Of course, at 7 and 9, they have plenty of tree-climbing years ahead of them.

Having said that, I don't love where I live. Oh, it's the right choice for now. Our house is ideally located for my school and DH's job. Next year both children'll finally be at high school with me. But I miss the quiet and solitude of the country. It was also less expensive. When we retire, we are definitely going back -- but for right now, our lives as parents of teenagers fits better HERE.

Next, you say the schools are consolidating. Is this a forever thing, or is it likely to last a year or two 'til the economy is better? If it's a short-term thing, I wouldn't move. On the same subject, how long will they to to elementary school? My elementary school went through 8th grade, but today most top out at 5th grade. How long this situation'll last would make a difference to me.

Finally, the thing that brought us to our current house was DRIVING TIME. We lived in the country when we were first married and stayed there 'til our kids started school. It was 30-40 minutes TO EVERYWHERE. Drive to get the kids to school, drive to get everyone home, drive to the store, drive if we want to go to dinner, drive to see a movie, drive if someone needs to go to the doctor. We were ALWAYS on the road, and it seriously cut into our family time. Now we're 5-10 minutes from essentially everything, and I LOVE IT.

Okay, I said finally, but I wasn't really done: Right now your kids driving themselves seems a million years away, but it isn't. When they're old enough to drive themselves to sports practices, to school, on dates, you'll be glad that they're closer to everything.

So, did I give an answer? I think I argued both sides of the coin. Really, I think I'd move to town. It's so much easier for you to be close to school and activities.

Is renting your current house a possibility? That'd give you the option of returning when the time is right.

 

[brymolmom]

Honestly I wouldn't sell a house that you love (and lifestyle that you love in the 'country') just to be closer to school. I know it's 12 years of school...but as kids get older there are late buses and maybe carpooling options available so it's not like you'll necessarily need to go there every day or multiple times per day. I don't think 25 minutes would be a big enough barrier to completely change the way we live - ESPECIALLY if everyone agrees that they prefer the country atmosphere (now if some of the family was griping about the land and the creek, etc. and not liking that way of life - then that's another story).

Not sure how close to the school you would move - but let's say you'd be within 10 minutes...that's only 15 minute difference - practically nothing really. And who's to say that you don't end up with other unforseen things - like an after school thing 20 minutes in the opposite direction or a best friend that lives close to where you are now that you end up driving back and forth to that area a few times a week anyway??

I would stay where you are and go through one full year at the new school before making any final decision. I used to live about 35 minutes away from work and I thought I would HATE it, and honestly, you get used to it. It ends up not being too big a deal in the end.

If after one full year at the new school you decide you have hated your life for that full year - then I would pursue it. I would never decide it before you've even tried it. When the school's are consolidated, you might be even more grateful for the distance and space you have where you are - away from the hustle and bustle.

 

[ariel71]

I grew up in north-central PA (possibly even the same hospital town based on your info since the elementary schools in my hometown are also consolidating). I don't have much perspective to add to the financial aspect, but my parents did the opposite of what you're considering when I was in high school (we moved from town to a large land parcel in the far outskirts), and it wasn't that great for us kids. Getting to and from school and activities were a PITA, especially before I got my driver's license. Even with play dates and activities, my younger brother and sister were somewhat isolated and couldn't just go out to play with friends like I had been able to. Your kids are young and may enjoy what nature has to offer, but eventually they'll be more focused on friends, school, sports, etc., and the benefits of your current home may not have as much intangible value to the family in a few years as they do now.

 

[clh2]

We live "out in the country", on the far, far western edge of the school district. I LOVE it out here. So does DH.

DD - was a whole different story. She could NEVER take her bike out of the subdivision. She couldn't walk to a friends house. Things weren't too bad until middle school, and that is when she met some "townies". DD was very jealous of the "townies" because they could walk/ride their bikes ANYWHERE.

We dealt with this for 5 years...until DD got her license, and now it doesn't matter anymore.

You'll find advantages and disadvantages for both situations. If being in town makes your life easier, (especially the finances) I would go for it.

 

[bellarella]

I'd move in a heartbeat.

I've lived in both types of areas, both as a child and a parent. I think moving in town would be a great decision. You aren't talking about moving to an urban area.

As a child, as I got older I got isolated and had to be much more dependent on my parents than I was when I lived in a neighborhood. As a parent, I felt that living in the country really limited what my kids could do. Their friends were somewhat dictated by who lived relatively close. Playdates and sports and afterschool activiites had to be carefully planned. I much prefer the spontaneity that we have now.

Add to that the financial benefit and I think this is a great option!

 

[ZehnJahren]

I lived out "in the woods" as a child, and was so excited when we moved into town (250 people) and I was able to bike to friend's homes or go swimming at their houses or go up to the local store or... We moved when I was 8 or 9, and I loved it!

I say sell and move.

 

[bumbershoot]

Honestly I wouldn't sell a house that you love (and lifestyle that you love in the 'country') just to be closer to school. I know it's 12 years of school...but as kids get older there are late buses and maybe carpooling options available so it's not like you'll necessarily need to go there every day or multiple times per day. I don't think 25 minutes would be a big enough barrier to completely change the way we live -

That's my opinion too.

Make the driving time into family time, enjoy the time "stuck" together.

Maybe get a bike rack for your cars, and if biking is a big thing, they can park them at the school, then bike to a friend's home and play around there...then you pick them up at the friend's and go home.